14 West Mount Vernon Place

This elegant mansion at 14 West Mount Vernon Place was completed in 1847 for George Small, a shipping magnate.

In 1890, Theodore Marburg, Ambassador to Belgium, bought the house and began a six-year renovation project – adding the grand staircase, an additional floor and a half, and a new facade. Marburg, who was fond of ornate furniture and art, elaborately decorated the interior, adding carved fireplaces, gold leafed sconces, chandeliers and parquet floors. He commissioned French craftsmen to build the mahogany and leaded glass library cabinets. The home’s ornate plasterwork is said to have taken five years for artisans to complete.

The house was one of the first in Baltimore to feature a hydraulic elevator. The elevator is still in operation, but powered by electricity.

According to the Maryland Historical Society records, Ambassador Marburg and President Woodrow Wilson drafted one of the covenants to the League of Nations in the library at 14 West Mount Vernon Place.

In the 1970s, the building was bought by a prominent local ophthalmologist, Dr. Nick Iliff, and was used for medical offices.

Agora took up residence here in 1994. It currently serves as our corporate headquarters.